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The New Jersey Devils have plenty of work to do in order to fill out their roster and prepare for the upcoming season, and it appears Lou Lamoriello is close to finishing up his first order of business.
Devils center, Andrei Loktionov, is very close to signing an extension with the Devils, according to reports out of Russia.
Loktionov's agent, Igor Larionov, told a Russian media outlet that he spoke to Lamoriello and they agreed on a one-year extension for Loktionov. Larionov went on to say that he informed Loktionov of the agreement and is just waiting for an official answer. "The probability of the signing is 99%," said Larionov.
This rumoured one-year contract makes sense for a variety of reasons. Loktionov showed a lot last season, but it was a shortened season and he only played in just over half of the games. Lamoriello doesn't just dish out multi-million dollar, multi-year contracts so Loktionov will have to earn it on this 'prove it' type contract.
On the basis of re-signing him, it's very good news for the Devils. He scored eight times and picked up four assists in 28 games with New Jersey. Loktionov was 2nd on the Devils in points per 60 minutes of 5 vs. 5 averaging 1.60 points during that span. Only Patrik Elias (1.71) averaged more points in the same situation.
Loktionov was the 3rd best possession player (59.2%) on the team, too, and posted possession numbers well above league average.
Overall, given the Devils situation, a one-year 'prove it' contract makes sense for both sides. If Loktionov has a great season, he'll reap the rewards, but Lamoriello would happily pay the man if he deserves it.
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In case you missed it,
I looked at four potential draft candidates for the Devils with the 9th overall pick.
I posted a scouting report on draft eligible forward, Justin Bailey, at TheHockeyGuys. You can
view the report here.
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